Yun Shu looked up at Li Meng'er, who was charging forward, her eyes turning cold.
Li Meng'er, relying on her father Li De, had repeatedly acted recklessly, not taking anyone seriously.
At this moment, she burst into the courtyard, ignoring A'Cha and Yu Le's attempts to stop her, and angrily confronted them.
Indeed, she had never truly been put through the wringer.
"Get out," Zhan Tianye said, his gaze sweeping coldly over her as he barked the order.
This cold, heartless reprimand instantly brought Li Meng'er back to her senses.
Her eyes widened, and she stared at Zhan Tianye in disbelief, "You... You are His Highness the Prince of Jin..."
Then she pointed at Yun Shu and declared, "Night Queen, you are too unvirtuous! You actually seduced His Highness the Prince of Jin of our Xixia Kingdom!"
She knew very well that her father had spent most of his time hiding in Dongning Kingdom all these years, and it had taken immense effort to bring Zhan Tianye back to Xixia. Yet, within days of Yun Shu's arrival, Zhan Tianye was no longer the Prince of Jin and had returned to Yun Shu's side!
It was outrageous!
In her eyes, Yun Shu was a femme fatale!
Why should she be allowed to seduce Zhan Tianye?
Yun Shu sneered, "Consort Meng, open your eyes and see clearly. The person before you is the Prince of Ye of Dongning Kingdom. Also, Consort Meng, why aren't you staying in the palace as you should? You've gone out of the palace multiple times. Could it be that you're meeting a lover?"
"You, you, you! Don't slander me! I have no lover; my heart only belongs to the Emperor! How can you slander me like this? Your heart is too venomous. His Highness the Prince of Jin, look carefully at the woman sitting beside you. She is not a kind person. See how she slanders me! As a consort of Xixia and the daughter of a great general, how could I possibly do anything that violates wifely virtues?"
Although Li Meng'er was furious and wished she could kill Yun Shu, she still possessed some reason. She knew she couldn't be slandered or be confirmed to be meeting a lover, as it would displease the Emperor and make her life in the harem difficult.
At the same time, her jealousy and envy towards Yun Shu intensified.
To have taken the Prince of Jin away so easily!
To have made all her father's efforts go to waste!
"Tsk tsk, what a fine Xixia consort. You're pointing fingers at our Dongning Prince of Ye and Night Queen without reason. How is it that I feel you secretly adore the Prince of Ye? Seeing the Prince of Ye and the Night Queen in love, you were greatly stimulated? Otherwise, why would you run out and point fingers at the Night Queen? I truly wish to enter the palace and ask the Emperor of Xixia why his concubines are so unruly!" Xie Jin walked over, fanning himself with a soft bone fan, his words sharp and sarcastic towards Li Meng'er.
Li Meng'er had never encountered someone like Xie Jin, who dared to say anything.
She immediately stammered, "You... You... You're talking nonsense..."
"Look at the etiquette of this Xixia consort. It truly opens my eyes," Xie Jin openly displayed his disdain for Li Meng'er.
Yun Shu curved her lips and smiled. She found Xie Jin's words quite fitting now; since he spoke so well, he could say a bit more.
Li Meng'er's face turned red, "You... you... you are too bold!"
As soon as she finished speaking.
Another figure ran into the courtyard.
It was Madam Li.
Madam Li rushed anxiously to Li Meng'er's side, "Meng Fei, come with me first."
"Mother, I..."
"Don't say anything, just come with me first." Madam Li was covered in a cold sweat, truly abandoning all other concerns.
Li Meng'er was not foolish. Seeing that she was no match for Yun Shu and the others alone, and now having made such a fool of herself, it was indeed best to leave.
She could only leave with Madam Li, somewhat unwillingly.
After they had moved away, Madam Li anxiously said to Li Meng'er, "Why did you leave the palace? After running back, why didn't you find me? Instead, you barged in to see the Prince of Ye and the others? Do you know the situation is very complicated? Your father hasn't slept properly for three days. One wrong step from you could cause disaster!"
Li Meng'er felt a pang of guilt upon hearing this. "Mother, I... I didn't think that much. I just hate the Night Queen. If it weren't for the Night Queen's appearance, my father wouldn't have to face this situation, and all his years of effort would be wasted. It's all because of that Night Queen! She's a femme fatale. Why can't His Highness the Prince of Jin see it? He was perfectly capable of inheriting the throne later, but why did he have to return to being the Prince of Ye? He must have been bewitched by the Night Queen!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, wishing she could destroy the Night Queen's face right then and there.
Heaven was truly unfair. Why had it given the Night Queen such a captivating face?
It was hateful!
Seeing the jealousy on her daughter's face, Madam Li felt a surge of fear. "You are already the Emperor's consort, and this identity will not change. How could you..."
She immediately lowered her voice, cautiously looking around before continuing, "How can you still not give up on the Prince of Jin? If anyone finds out your intentions, your position in the harem will be in danger! Do you understand?"
The thought of these possibilities gave Madam Li a headache.
Li Meng'er's eyes flickered, avoiding Madam Li's gaze. She lowered her head and said, "Mother, what are you talking about? I was just standing up for Father. The rumors outside have become so bad. I was worried, so I rushed back from the palace. And I saw the Emperor in the palace. The Emperor was also furious about this matter, lying in bed with a terrifyingly pale face."
Madam Li listened, her heart pounding. "Alright, Meng'er, don't say any more. Listen to Mother. Go back to the palace immediately. These matters are not for a consort in the harem to manage. No matter what kind of difficulty it is, your father will find a way to solve it. You absolutely must not cause any trouble at this time, do you understand?"
"Mother, I'm too worried about Father to cause any trouble. I just went to see the Night Queen, and I was only angered." Li Meng'er continued to justify herself.
But Madam Li had raised Li Meng'er since she was a child and understood her own daughter.
She sighed helplessly, "Don't you think Mother understands your feelings? Go back to the palace obediently. As for the Prince of Ye and the Night Queen, they are not people to be trifled with easily. Every step your father takes now is critical, and he absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake. Even if you can't help your father, you must absolutely not drag him down. Staying in the palace and behaving yourself is the greatest help you can give your father, do you understand?"
Li Meng'er could only nod reluctantly.
...
"The Prince of Ye's charm is truly immense. After only a short time in Xixia, even the Emperor of Xixia's consort has improper thoughts about the Prince of Ye." Xie Jin said these words with a hint of envy on his face.
But as the words left his mouth, he felt he had spoken too carelessly.